Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
How Many?
Leaning to count is the first mathematical concept taught to young children. By seeing, hearing and writing numbers over and over, young children learn number recognition, number order and one-to-one correspondence.
This week in Play School we explore numbers and counting through play, singing and
cooking. A cardboard box house with cardboard furniture and cardboard roll people is the focal point throughout the week. Each day we sing “How Many People Live at Your House?”
and count the number of people in the cardboard box house.
Join us this week as we have fun with numbers and ask “How Many?”
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
Monday
PRESENTERS
Emma Palmer – Alex Papps PIANIST
Peter Dasent STORY
The Nickle Nackle Tree © Lynley Dodd, 1976 First published in the United Kingdom by Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1976. First published by ABC Books 2001.
FILM
Seal Show at Taronga Zoo (Play School, ABC)
IDEAS FOR LATER
Make a pretend zoo with cardboard boxes, craft materials and plastic toy animals.
Paint or draw a tree with some unusual birds sitting in its branches.
Dress up as a colourful bird with a beak and scarf wings.
SONGS
How Many People Live at Your House?
Composer: Lucille Wood Publisher: Harrup Publishing, UK What Shall We Do?
Composers: Peter Dasent & Mark Barnard Publisher: Origin/Control
Have You Seen Spaghetti?
Composers: Don Spencer & Moira Cochrane Giraffes and Mice
Composers: Robyn & Peter Mapleson Publisher: ABC Music Publishing I Can Fly
Composer: Lucille Wood Publisher: Bowmar Two Little Dickie Birds Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
MAKE AND DO
How to Make Number Buns You will need:
600g plain flour (wholemeal, white or a mixture of the two) 2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons dried yeast 1 tablespoon olive oil 400ml lukewarm water 2 tablespoons milk Sprinkles
Preheat your oven to 200ºC.
Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
Add water and olive oil and mix to combine. Start with a wooden spoon and then use your hands.
Cover the bowl with a damp tea-towel and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.
Place dough on a floured bench and knead until smooth.
Divide the dough into five or six pieces.
Shape each piece into a number.
Place number shapes on a greased tray.
Brush each dough number with some milk and decorate with sprinkles.
Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
How to Make Bird Finger Puppets You will need:
Coloured cardboard Tape
Pipe cleaners Coloured markers Craft feathers
Roll a square of coloured cardboard around your finger and tape to secure.
Tape a pipe cleaner around the middle for legs.
Draw on a beak and some eyes with coloured markers.
Tape two feathers to either side for wings.
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
Tuesday
PRESENTERS
Emma Palmer – Rhys Muldoon PIANIST
Peter Dasent TOLD STORY
Sam and Pam’s Day in the meadow (A story told by the Play School team) FILM
Twins
(Play School, ABC) ANIMATION Jump and Jiggle (Play School, ABC) IDEAS FOR LATER
Make an animal counting book! Look through old magazines for pictures of animals. Cut them out and paste them into a scrap book.
Play “Simon Says” using numbers! “Simon”
can instruct someone to jump five times, clap four times, roar three times etc.
Sing you favourite number rhymes and songs, such as “Ten in the Bed”, “Three Little Ducks” and “Five Little Speckled Frogs”.
Take your toys for a picnic in your backyard or local park! Take a blanket and a basket and make some pretend food from craft materials for your toys and some real food for yourself.
SONGS
Five Little Speckled Frogs Composer: Traditional
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing Der Glumph
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Everybody’s Got a Body
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Over in the Meadow
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Dancing Face
Composers: Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting Publisher: Origin/Control
Dance with a Dolly
Composers: Terry Shand, Jimmy Eaton &
Mickey Leader
Publisher: J. Albert & Son Everybody Get Together
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage Publisher: Origin/Control
How Many People Live at Your House?
Composer: Lucille Wood
Publisher: Harrup Publishing, UK Kitty and Puppy
Composers: Roberta McLaughlin & Lucille Wood
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
MAKE AND DO
How to Make a Jumping Frog that Catches Flies Coloured cardboard
Coloured paper Safety scissors Tape
A cake skewer Pipe cleaners Googly craft eyes Elastic
A marker
A round, plastic magnet Recycled metal bottle top lids
Draw a body for your frog on a piece of coloured cardboard and cut out.
Cut eight strips of coloured paper, about 2cm x 30cm. To make one leg, place the ends of two paper strips at right angles to each other and tape together. Fold each strip over and under to create a concertina like spring. Make four springy legs and attach to the bottom of the frog’s body with tape.
Cut two 4cm lengths of pipe cleaner. Ask an adult to make two holes at the front of the frog’s body with a cake skewer. Push a length of pipe cleaner through each hole and tape at the back of the frog to secure. Tape a googly eye to each pipe cleaner.
Ask an adult to poke two smaller holes at either end of the frog’s body with a cake skewer.
Cut a 30cm length of elastic and poke either end through the holes to create a handle for your frog. Tie a knot at each end and tape to secure.
Tape a round, plastic magnet to the front of the frog for a tongue.
Make some flies by taping short lengths of pipe cleaner to recycled metal bottle top lids for legs.
See how many flies your frog can catch with his/her magnet tongue!
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
Wednesday
PRESENTERS
Alex Papps – Rhys Muldoon PIANIST
Peter Dasent TOLD STORY Slush’s Surprise
(A story told by the Play School team) FILM
Aida’s Cakes at the Easter Show (Play School, ABC)
IDEAS FOR LATER
Make a collection box and keep interesting treasures inside. You might like to go
exploring and collect treasures for your box on the way.
Help make a surprise birthday cake for a friend or family member.
Make a Jack-in-the-Box! Squat down and hide inside a large cardboard box and then pop out to surprise somebody! Sing the “Jack-in-the-Box” song.
SONGS Jack is Quiet
Composers: Satis Coleman & Alice Thorn Jack-in-the-Box
Three Cheeky Monkeys Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing How Many People Live at Your House?
Composer: Lucille Wood
Publisher: Harrup Publishing, UK Motor Bike Song
Composer: John Waters
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing Five Little Candles
Composer: Dorothy M. Parr Publisher: ABC Music Publishing If You Want to Know
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing/Control
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
MAKE AND DO
How to Make a Hand Print Birthday Cake You will need:
Paper
Different coloured paints Paintbrushes
Crayons Glitter
Paint the palm of your hand with paint and a paintbrush.
Paint your fingers in a different colour. Don’t paint your thumb.
Press your painted hand and fingers down on a piece of paper to make a print. It will look like a cake with candles!
To finish your painting, use crayons to draw a flame above each candle. Sprinkle some glitter onto the wet paint for decoration.
How to Make an Owl Sandwich You will need:
Sliced bread Sliced cheese Sliced cucumber Raisons
Sliced carrot
Place a piece of bread on a plate or cutting board.
Cover the surface of the bread with slices of cheese.
Cut a small triangle from either side of the bread and fan out to create two wings.
Place two slices of cucumber at the top of the bread and put a raison in the middle of each slice to create two big eyes.
Cut a slice of carrot into quarters and use one quarter for a beak. Now you have an owl sandwich!
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
Thursday
PRESENTERS
Teo Gebert – Rachael Coopes PIANIST
Peter Dasent TOLD STORY
Jemima and the Very Big Sandwich (A story told by the Play School team) FILM
Cabramatta Shopping (Play School, ABC) IDEAS FOR LATER
Make your own money box from a recycled tissue box. Paint and decorate your box and start saving! When your money box is full, take it to the bank and open a savings account.
Make a coin print! Place some coins under a piece of paper and rub over them with a crayon. What Australian animals can you see?
SONGS
Going Shopping
Composer: Jane Fulford
Humpty Works with One Hammer Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Everybody Likes Fruit and Vegetables Composer: Jay Mankita
Publisher: Dreams on Tape Music May I Come Over to Your Place?
Composer: Henrietta Clark Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
How Many People Live at Your House?
Composer: Lucille Wood
Publisher: Harrup Publishing, UK
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
MAKE AND DO
How to Make Pumpkin Soup You will need:
1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks 1 litre vegetable stock
Salt & pepper Yoghurt Serves four.
Boil or microwave pumpkin until soft.
Allow pumpkin to cool slightly before placing in a blender with vegetable stock. Blend until it reaches desired consistency.
Heat on the stove or in the microwave.
Season with salt and pepper Serve with yoghurt.
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
Friday
PRESENTERS
Teo Gebert – Rachael Coopes PIANIST
Peter Dasent STORY
And Red Galoshes Author: Glenda Millard Illustrator: Jonathan Bentley Publisher: Little Hare Books FILM
Dinosaurs at the Museum (Play School, ABC) IDEAS FOR LATER
Make some mud bricks using ground clay, straw, water and recycled takeaway containers. Let them dry in the sun. How many do you need to build a house?
Make sandwiches, cut them in the shape of dinosaurs and count them.
SONGS Glorious Mud
Composers: M. Flanders & D. Swann Publisher: Warner Chappell
How Many Raindrops?
Composer: Trudi Behar Publisher: Bowmar Drip Drop
Composers: Peter & Robyn Mapleson Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Making Things (It’s Fun to Make Things) Composers: S. Aplin & P. Barton
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing Dinosaur Roar
Composers: Peter Dasent, Arthur Baysting &
Justine Clarke
Publisher: Origin/Control Peek-a-Boo
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Driving in the Car
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage Publisher: Origin/Control
How Many People Live at Your House?
Composer: Lucille Wood
Publisher: Harrup Publishing, UK
Theme Notes
Series 274: How Many?
MAKE AND DO
How to Make Mud Pies You will need:
Ground clay Straw
Water A bucket
Recycled plastic containers or old tins from the kitchen
Bits and pieces from the garden, such as pebbles, flowers, leaves, ferns and twigs Mix some ground clay and straw in a bucket. Slowly add water until the mixture becomes sloppy and mud-like.
Pour the mud into recycled plastic containers or old tins from the kitchen to make mud pies.
Decorate the mud pies with bits and pieces from the garden. You might like to use pebbles to create a rocky road for toy cars to drive over, petals and flowers to create a fairyland or leaves, ferns and twigs to make a dinosaur land for plastic dinosaur toys.
